Hi, my name is Elad Massuri
I am a journalist by profession, a storyteller by nature, and a child at heart.
As a young boy, I was fascinated by people who had mastered the art of storytelling- grabbing their audience’s attention from the beginning, luring them in, and leaving them feeling amazed and wonder-struck. Great stories manifest from people with unique life experiences and dust on their boots. As a young boy, this inspired me to constantly observe people and search for the beauty within each one; to listen to the melody of their voice and understand the complexity of their thoughts and ideas. To find their stories and interpret them because everyone has a story; one that tells who they were, who they are, and what they want to become. Each person’s story portrays why they walk, talk, and act the way they do.
My grandfather David Massuri was a Sofer Stam, a scribe of Jewish text. In the Hebrew language, S.T.A.M. is an acronym for Books, Tefillin, and Mezuzah. He labored most of his life writing Torah scrolls, Megillahs, and all sorts of Jewish holy texts.
Like the old saying about the apple and the tree, I believe I was destined to be a writer.
As a child, I would visit my grandfather every Shabbat. After a traditional breakfast prepared by my grandmother, I would eagerly wait by the window for my grandfather to return from the synagogue and flood him with the many questions that ran through my mind. After patiently listening, he would guide me to his extensive library and would point out the book that magically held the answer to my question. Without realizing it, he was encouraging my curiosity and teaching me the art of research, discovery, and the excitement of learning something new… all of which are the building blocks for a budding journalist.
Like most Israelis, after completing my military service (most of which was served stationed at the Lebanese border), I took time to travel the world and headed to the Far East. I adventured through countries such as Nepal, China, Tibet, and India. One day, while in a small village in North India, I sat on a swing overlooking the Ganges River, contemplating the next steps in my journey. While my friends were party-hopping, I found myself reading The Times of India and for the first time I noticed that under every article headline was a name- a person, someone who had written each article, someone with a wealth of knowledge, wisdom, and experience that they shared with others. At that moment I knew I wanted to be one of those people. When I returned to Israel I was accepted at the Koteret – School of Journalism and Communication at Tel Aviv University, and this is where the story of my career began.
In addition to journalism studies, I took courses in photography and social media, two fields that are instrumental to every journalist today. Working as a journalist gave me the opportunity to travel around the globe- writing and taking photographs in over 30 countries. Over the years I have covered topics ranging from politics to lifestyle, business to celebrities, and my personal favorites food and culture.
In 2014, I was invited by relatives to visit Santa Monica, California. What began as a short visit turned out to be an introduction to my new home in Southern California.
Almost immediately, I began working with the local Jewish media. Through these connections, I was able to establish the first Hebrew column in the well known Jewish Journal. for many years I held the position of head writer at Shavua Israeli – The Israeli Weekly Magazine. I am also a freelance writer for Hadshot USA, Hebrew News, and Orange County’s Jewish Life magazine.
Jewish wisdom, in addition to Biblical scriptures, has inspired many of today’s cultural icons, who have gone on to influence the fields of philosophy, spirituality, medicine, science, technology, and even pop culture. I am humbled to write the stories of today’s Jewish world and am grateful for the members of the local Jewish community, who have ceaselessly shared their stories with me. My hope is that the Jewish narrative continues to be shared for the rest of time.
Through this website I look forward to sharing my world with you- the people I meet, the different views I encounter, the food I experience- and all with an Israeli point of view.